Sewing, DIY tutorials, art, and how to organize your studio

How to Make Hair Gel out of Flax Seeds

A while back, I got some requests for a tutorial about how I took care of my hair. I typed this up at the time, and a lot of people said that it worked well for them, so I’m going to share it here also.

This gel is easy to make, and it works very well to define my naturally frizzy curls. It isn’t sticky or drying like some store-bought gels I’ve tried, and ever since I discovered this, I don’t even use conditioner anymore!

A lot of people ask me if my hair color is real, and the answer is yes. I have never colored my hair, and none of these photos were altered or enhanced in any way. It does look brighter in the sunlight, though. I also get asked if it’s naturally curly a lot, and again, the answer is yes. In fact, I do not do a single thing to my hair beyond what I’m going to share here. So let’s get started!

This picture shows my hair after I’ve washed it and let it dry, but haven’t put anything on it. This is my hair in its natural state. It’s very curly, but the individual hairs are all doing their own thing, making it look fuzzy and messy.

Up until a few years ago, I didn’t know what to do about my frizzy hair, so I kept it in braids a lot. One day I searched “crazy frizzy curly hair” on the internet, and that’s where I learned about keeping conditioner in your hair and not rinsing it out, which is a method that a lot of people use to control their curly hair.

The problem with leaving conditioner in my hair was that it made it feel stiff, a bit greasy, kind of heavy… and it darkened my hair so that it didn’t show its natural color. Many people commented that my hair was turning brown, when it was actually all that conditioner on it that made it look darker! I searched the internet for a clear conditioner to use, thinking that a clear one wouldn’t look darker while it was on my hair, but instead, I ran across a variation of this flax seed hair gel.

I’ve been using it ever since, as my “conditioner” as well as a styling aid that defines my curls. The only thing I put on my hair is shampoo and this gel. I love how it makes my hair feel, and how well it works to banish frizz!

Place 1/4 cup (60 grams) of flax seeds in a saucepan, and add 4 cups (1 liter) of water. Depending on where you live, they might be called linseeds. They are one and the same. (It’s the seeds of the plant that linen fabric is made from.)

Bring to a boil, stirring every few minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn off the heat and let it cool for one hour.

Start with these proportions for your first batch, but after you see how your hair likes it, you can play around with the recipe. You may need more or less holding power, which can be adjusted to suit your hair’s needs.

In its plain form of just flax seeds and water, the gel will smell very mildly like bread. The bread smell seems to disappear entirely when the gel is dry, but if you want to, you can add essential oils to make it smell nice! I use 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) each of lime and ginger essential oils, but you can use whatever you have on hand, or omit them entirely. It’s up to you.

Line a bowl with a clean kitchen towel.

Pour the contents of the saucepan into the towel-lined bowl.

Gather the edges of the towel and gently squeeze, straining the hair gel through the towel and into the bowl.

Discard the seeds that are left in the towel, and pour the gel into a plastic squeeze bottle.

It will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks, or you can freeze it in a plastic bottle and take it out of the freezer on the morning or night before you plan to wash your hair. You can also add about 2 teaspoons (9 grams) of vitamin E oil if you want, to make it keep longer in the fridge.

Wash your hair with a moisturizing shampoo. Don’t use a shampoo that leaves your hair feeling “squeaky clean”… in my experience, that squeaky clean feeling means that your hair is dried out! I use Aussie Total Miracle 7-in-1 shampoo, and I really like it.

If you have incredibly dry hair, you could certainly use a moisturizing conditioner after you shampoo, and then rinse it out. However, I do not do this, as it seems to make the gel not hold as well.

After washing, let your hair dry.

Apply the homemade hair gel to your hair by getting some on your hands, rubbing your hands together, and then rubbing your hands through your hair. Make sure to get all of your hair coated evenly, even the roots! Sometimes it’s easier to separate your hair into sections and work with one section at a time.

See how much longer and darker my hair looks when it’s wet?

This is the hairbrush I’m using right now. The bristles are thick and flexible, and fairly far apart. (Brushes with lots of bristles seem to create more frizz.) The brush also comes apart in a really creative way so that you can wash it thoroughly, which I love because some of my previous hairbrushes were really hard to wash, and you will definitely be getting some flax hair gel on your brush. I tried a wide-toothed comb, but it didn’t smooth my curls together as well as this brush does.

Separate your hair into 8 to 12 sections, and brush each section well while it’s wet with the flax hair gel. And then leave it alone! Let it dry without playing with it or running your fingers through it. I just go to sleep at this point. You can use a good diffuser to dry your hair if you’re in a hurry, but make sure that the airflow is gentle enough not to blow your curls apart. You don’t want to start the week out looking like you rode in a convertible for 8 hours!

Once your hair is completely dry, it will still look wet, but it will feel very stiff. You can see in the first pictures how it’s standing out straight all by itself. It will also sound stiff when you move your head. Now is when you scrunch it! Squeeze it in your fists, pack it against your head, and just in general mash it until it’s soft, bright, and fabulous! It should only take about 30 seconds or so.

I don’t do a single thing to my hair after that until it’s time to wash it again, which will be in 4 to 8 days. I’ll need to wash it sooner if I’ve gotten caught out in the rain, or ridden in a car with the windows down, or gone hiking and gotten my hair snagged on twigs and branches. Usually I wash/gel/brush it exactly once a week.

When I take a shower, I put on a shower cap to protect my ‘do from the water and humidity of the shower.

When I sleep, I just… sleep. I do not braid it, or put on any sort of hat, or use a special pillowcase. I just go to sleep, roll out of bed in the morning, and my hair is good to go. My hair probably does most of its frizzing while I’m asleep, from me rubbing my head against the pillowcase, but I haven’t bothered to try to prevent that. I figure an average of washing/brushing my hair once a week is pretty darn low-maintenance! All told, the entire routine (excluding drying time) takes me about 40 minutes every week.

(Looking back over this, I’m amused at how long my fingernails were when I took these pictures. I was between guitars. Lol) Anyway, if you have curls like I do, this homemade hair gel might work for you, too. I hope you love it just as much!

Share this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

About SnazzyBot

I am an artist and fashion designer with a passion for helping people bring their own creative dreams to life. I love sharing my projects with fellow crafters, and I hope you find ideas and inspiration on my blog!
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use my affiliate links to make a purchase.